From providing the material for making paper and pottery glaze to wooden canoes and alcoholic brews, plants have played a prominent, yet often overlooked role in the development of human civilisation for thousands of years. With curious facts and engaging visuals, Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening tour of how North American plants have come to our rescue and helped shape our culture and traditions.

International Herb Association's 2017 Thomas DeBaggio Book Award Winner2016 Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner History, literature, and botany meet in this charming tour of how humans have relied on plants to nourish, shelter, heal, clothe, and even entertain us. Did you know that during World War II, the US Navy paid kids to collect milkweed’s fluffy white floss, which was then used as filling for life preservers? And Native Americans in the deserts of the Southwest traditionally crafted tattoo needles from prickly pear cactus spines. These are just two of the dozens of tidbits that Tammi Hartung highlights in the tales of 43 native North American flowers, herbs, and trees that have rescued and delighted us for centuries.